Just the day after my last post, about duo-playing, a documentary portrait of two touring muscians was sent on one of the Swedish tv-channels. Jonas Knutsson (saxophones) and Johan Norberg (guitars) were around in northern parts of the country (Norrland = North Land), with a programme focused on domestic folkmusical influences.
No big gestures, it´s imaginary, for fantasy and picturing, in the calmness of the northern landscape. Good relaxed players, experienced but not tired. Who wants big city sound among lakes and forests. The guitar, it´s role was perfect. (Steel string acoustic is by tradition the countrymans tool in the industrial times) I like it when it goes a bit towards the John Renbourn thing, maybe, to the norwegian Terje Rypdal.
It´s about the searching attitude. Open minded and experimentators, but with knowledge of the roots they are circling around. Sound connection between folk/ethnic, jazz, classical, but taking care of sources, anyway sailing outside the most strictly academical side of it. Simplicity can be the greatest. In Sweden, probably the most well known contributor of involving jazz to folk/ethnic…or otherwise, is the pianist Jan Johansson. Many natural contacts with other established jazzmusicians gave his ideas room. This was in the sixties.
Another keyboard (&electric organ) player was Merit Hemmingsson, (still active!) She gave the field between different styles and idioms a new push on the early seventies records. I like them also because of the sound engineering. No digital orgy here…., this was the Swedish popmusic high-tech of it´s time, some time before the Abba expolosion.
Weather Report: It´s still like just going into a refrigerator outdoors, been so steadily for months. But, after a few weeks it can be different. Often, in march…april, when I look out of the window (happens), I see idiots walking at a brisk pace in shorts and colourful hawaiishirts when it´s only + 5 celsius. I know, they are longing for the season on East Beach (which in Halmstad strangely is in the south) and all the playing of flipper pinballgames just like the young pushy Tom Berenger in his little nasty role in “Looking for Mr Goodbar”).
Yeah, it´s old. By the way, in this town you may need the compass (wallet is also good) for clearly right directions. Are these indications of a big city? No.
http://www.fuzz.se/index.shtml
(guitarist Johan Norberg, also collaborator in FUZZ magazine)
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Have you ever heard a belch move from one corner of the room to the other, then retrace it´s tracks? That´s possible, ..on the spooktacular long-playing record;
“Spike Jones in Stereo” (1959), which also presents tv-broadcasting from the famous scientist´s experiment, creating new lifeforms .... in the show This Is Your Death.
Speaker: ...“Two perfect feet……Two perfect hands……Two perfect HEADS!!... WHAT A MONSTER!!” The two headed beatnik monster then harmonize, ...one head in each loudspeaker, a song by Stephen Foster.
If I mentioned THE BELCH (in astonishing Stereo)...well, it´s also possible to hear it on the bus from this town (Halmstad) to the even smaller places, Laholm and Hyltebruk. Young promising men back in the bus can do the belch suddenly, if you are lucky, almost at the same time. One in each corner of the backseat. But they are small punks in black, on the record it´s the adult Dracula with his strong after-dinner-drink.
From here it´s natural for me to talk about two guitars, duets. What´s the point? Two guitars offers possibilities to almost all music, in minature, of course. Still the individuality of one guitar is very present. It is not possible to hide somewhere in a small ensembleform, it´s intimate. Already early European pioneers of guitar composition noticed the charms of guitarduo, about or more than two hundred years ago. (Carulli, Giuliani, Diabelli, Sor and others).
Later on, while pianists/composers created larger harmony, two guitars had been the natural way to follow, but it didn´t happen. Guitarists tried to do everything on one fretboard, it was of course impossible. The compromising attitude (in harmony) on the fretboard was a coming fact. The guitar historys most important renewer, in art of arranging and composing for sologuitar about hundred years ago, many agree with that, was the spaniard Fransisco Tarrega.
But, meanwhile and already before that, the guitar established it´s role, more and more in popular music, almost all over the world. Often it was involved, not only in polyphonic structures (many voices), but also in polyrhythmic (many rhythms). Guitars expansion into popular music was remarkable in the Americas, especially the southern regions.
Nowdays it´s possible to hear pure guitarduo now and then, live or on record, but I have a strong feeling that much more could be done. Try it! In the traditional Spanish flamenco music the guitar in musical practise have a close relationship with a dancer or a singer. In South Americas guitar often feels comfort, with other guitars, or a whole rhythmsection. When it comes to electric, Yeahjeezh (Scottish accent)…, well, the guitar was soon in all groups...
So, my , twenty years old , scientific investigation show; For a guitarist; Two heads are better than one, when it comes to popularity outside your private chamber.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a noble price after midnight!
For Betty Blue; drivemyguitars little airport is ready, the red carpet is rolled out. I´m waiting in the control tower to get contact with the heiress of the latin planet! The question is; what, which, two or more latin influenced records shall I buy when I get paid? You have the answers---please!
I saw you had crazily much comments, one of them... by the famous actor Ed Harris? Is it true? He writes nice words to you in Spanish?....wow In that case this blog is Pluto, the small cold planet, far away, not seen in all weather conditions. This is not the same league....is it true. ...Anyway, if you get Harris to visit my blog…it´s sensational. Maybe he´s a guitarplayer and wants to know something about G major 9 in strange positions?
As a mother of fact – I lately found out that there are two Betty Blue´s in the blogplanetsystem,…. as I said two heads are better than one.
Who´s gonna submerge my record-buying budget first?
bonnajazz@spray.se
“Spike Jones in Stereo” (1959), which also presents tv-broadcasting from the famous scientist´s experiment, creating new lifeforms .... in the show This Is Your Death.
Speaker: ...“Two perfect feet……Two perfect hands……Two perfect HEADS!!... WHAT A MONSTER!!” The two headed beatnik monster then harmonize, ...one head in each loudspeaker, a song by Stephen Foster.
If I mentioned THE BELCH (in astonishing Stereo)...well, it´s also possible to hear it on the bus from this town (Halmstad) to the even smaller places, Laholm and Hyltebruk. Young promising men back in the bus can do the belch suddenly, if you are lucky, almost at the same time. One in each corner of the backseat. But they are small punks in black, on the record it´s the adult Dracula with his strong after-dinner-drink.
From here it´s natural for me to talk about two guitars, duets. What´s the point? Two guitars offers possibilities to almost all music, in minature, of course. Still the individuality of one guitar is very present. It is not possible to hide somewhere in a small ensembleform, it´s intimate. Already early European pioneers of guitar composition noticed the charms of guitarduo, about or more than two hundred years ago. (Carulli, Giuliani, Diabelli, Sor and others).
Later on, while pianists/composers created larger harmony, two guitars had been the natural way to follow, but it didn´t happen. Guitarists tried to do everything on one fretboard, it was of course impossible. The compromising attitude (in harmony) on the fretboard was a coming fact. The guitar historys most important renewer, in art of arranging and composing for sologuitar about hundred years ago, many agree with that, was the spaniard Fransisco Tarrega.
But, meanwhile and already before that, the guitar established it´s role, more and more in popular music, almost all over the world. Often it was involved, not only in polyphonic structures (many voices), but also in polyrhythmic (many rhythms). Guitars expansion into popular music was remarkable in the Americas, especially the southern regions.
Nowdays it´s possible to hear pure guitarduo now and then, live or on record, but I have a strong feeling that much more could be done. Try it! In the traditional Spanish flamenco music the guitar in musical practise have a close relationship with a dancer or a singer. In South Americas guitar often feels comfort, with other guitars, or a whole rhythmsection. When it comes to electric, Yeahjeezh (Scottish accent)…, well, the guitar was soon in all groups...
So, my , twenty years old , scientific investigation show; For a guitarist; Two heads are better than one, when it comes to popularity outside your private chamber.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a noble price after midnight!
For Betty Blue; drivemyguitars little airport is ready, the red carpet is rolled out. I´m waiting in the control tower to get contact with the heiress of the latin planet! The question is; what, which, two or more latin influenced records shall I buy when I get paid? You have the answers---please!
I saw you had crazily much comments, one of them... by the famous actor Ed Harris? Is it true? He writes nice words to you in Spanish?....wow In that case this blog is Pluto, the small cold planet, far away, not seen in all weather conditions. This is not the same league....is it true. ...Anyway, if you get Harris to visit my blog…it´s sensational. Maybe he´s a guitarplayer and wants to know something about G major 9 in strange positions?
As a mother of fact – I lately found out that there are two Betty Blue´s in the blogplanetsystem,…. as I said two heads are better than one.
Who´s gonna submerge my record-buying budget first?
bonnajazz@spray.se
Thursday, February 16, 2006
FEBRUARY´s SHORT-CUT TICKET
Basic Bass., swollen strings. If you are a guitarplayer, you sometimes observed that there are important basslines in bottom of almost all music. In rock music it´s a must. What´s jazz without…., what´s JS Bach…. It´s historical. If you don’t know anything about writing basslines, it´s impossible to compose for real. You may do haunting lyrics, melodies, When it comes to execution, somebody must take it, the shitjob. Electric Bassguitars can be transported in a Wolkswagen beetle. Buy one today. Learn something about music. How to arrange. If you want to sound more believeable than a bathroomguitarplayer.
I remember the old Long-Playing record; “ A Journey into STEREO Sound “. The speaker said; “It´s like a game of tennis,... table tennis....PING(Right loudspeaker)…..or should I say PONG(Left loudspeaker)...
Yes, there´s two, each side of the table. Headline and bottomline.
Top melody line (maybe executed by you, the frog-dressed soloist, jumpin around like fire in your pants). On the other side of the table; Bass (the normal socially caretaking person, who motivates your musical existence). Together you create possibilities; to harmony...so long the bass wants to play with you.
I remember the old Long-Playing record; “ A Journey into STEREO Sound “. The speaker said; “It´s like a game of tennis,... table tennis....PING(Right loudspeaker)…..or should I say PONG(Left loudspeaker)...
Yes, there´s two, each side of the table. Headline and bottomline.
Top melody line (maybe executed by you, the frog-dressed soloist, jumpin around like fire in your pants). On the other side of the table; Bass (the normal socially caretaking person, who motivates your musical existence). Together you create possibilities; to harmony...so long the bass wants to play with you.
Monday, February 06, 2006
ALBUM CHEQUE
No water skiing these days, snow is all over and more is coming. Let´s not sit outside, let´s go inside and take on silky rubbergloves and do some research in the front of the record galleria.
First of all, in my hands I have the relatively new CD-album, "KISS & TELL", by the group SAHARA HOTNIGHTS, basically from the northern part of this country. No doubt, it´s been my favourite for months. As a matter of fact I´m often a little bit bored listening whole albums, not this time. They play so well here in their idiom, if it´s pop, rock or punk, is not important to analyze from minute to another.
I like everything, the energy in vocals, riffs, drums, composition, arrangements... The CD is well balanced all over, but with variations in the mentioned. Sahara Hotnights is probably the most important swedish female group on the domestic rockscene ever. When I saw Chrissie Hynde on TV in the eighties, I felt the same ; "that´s something".
What´s more in the box? Some old fashioned Englishmen, TEN YEARS AFTER. The long-playing record from 1968; "UNDEAD", also has energy with musical skills. Recorded at Klooks Kleek, Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, London. Why? Why no "best before"? At the time old time jazz influences were not the highest fashion.
Anyway, the hardcore swing fits here like hands in gloves. Mickey Mouse´s gloves? No,no, even if the influences flew partly from the U.S.A (the famous british bluesboom turnaround) the recipe in the finish appeared homemade in the front of domestic audiences,..... straight down the line, loud and tough, but honest - without studiocondoms.
I may be wrong but I won´t be wrong always.
First of all, in my hands I have the relatively new CD-album, "KISS & TELL", by the group SAHARA HOTNIGHTS, basically from the northern part of this country. No doubt, it´s been my favourite for months. As a matter of fact I´m often a little bit bored listening whole albums, not this time. They play so well here in their idiom, if it´s pop, rock or punk, is not important to analyze from minute to another.
I like everything, the energy in vocals, riffs, drums, composition, arrangements... The CD is well balanced all over, but with variations in the mentioned. Sahara Hotnights is probably the most important swedish female group on the domestic rockscene ever. When I saw Chrissie Hynde on TV in the eighties, I felt the same ; "that´s something".
What´s more in the box? Some old fashioned Englishmen, TEN YEARS AFTER. The long-playing record from 1968; "UNDEAD", also has energy with musical skills. Recorded at Klooks Kleek, Railway Hotel, West Hampstead, London. Why? Why no "best before"? At the time old time jazz influences were not the highest fashion.
Anyway, the hardcore swing fits here like hands in gloves. Mickey Mouse´s gloves? No,no, even if the influences flew partly from the U.S.A (the famous british bluesboom turnaround) the recipe in the finish appeared homemade in the front of domestic audiences,..... straight down the line, loud and tough, but honest - without studiocondoms.
I may be wrong but I won´t be wrong always.
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